


House Arrest

by tamnation



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canon Compliant, Clint Barton's Farm, F/M, Family, Loss, Not A Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 19:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14625258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tamnation/pseuds/tamnation
Summary: Aliens are invading the Earth and Clint's stuck at home on house arrest. Watching from the sidelines is harder than he'd thought it would be.MAJOR SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War. This is a 'where was Clint Barton' during Infinity War story and deals with some of the aftermath.





	House Arrest

**Author's Note:**

> So I've seen the A:IW twice now, and anyone who's read my stuff knows that Clint is pretty much my favourite avenger so I was a little bit heartbroken by his absence (bring on Avengers 4), and more than a little bit heartbroken by the end of the film. So I kind of needed somewhere for that angst to go, and well, I took it out on Clint.
> 
> Slightly unusual for me in that this is canon-compliant currently (timeline of events aside cos I might have condensed it a little bit). This fic includes the fallout from the end of IW so be warned. Un-beta'd and while I have tried to americanise most of my spelling, I'm sure some of my Australianisms have probably come through. Still, hopefully you will enjoy!!

On Avengers missions, when everything was going to hell in a handbasket and the only thing between Clint and injury (or death) was his next perfectly aimed arrow, he used to dream of spending long days on the farm. To be able to spend each day working on the odd jobs and actually making sure they had a decent harvest for the year, not to mention actually being around to see his kids grow. It had seemed like the perfect daydream.

House arrest was not exactly what he had in mind.

Back in his mercenary days, he wouldn’t have even considered it. Even if it had just been him and Laura, he might have gone on the run with Nat and Cap, trusting Laura to take care of herself. But he had three kids now, and with Stark all-but telling Ross how to target Clint’s weak spot, he’d taken a deep breath and turned himself in.

Laura had glared at the military escort that brought Clint home. The guards had cuffed him roughly as he got out of the truck because all of these small-minded rent-a-cops wanted to prove they were tough shit for keeping an ex-avenger in line. Clint was too tired to care but Laura had marched over to the van and slapped the guard.

“That is not how you treat a man who has sacrificed his life for this country and this planet. You should be ashamed of yourself. Now uncuff my husband and get off my property.” When they’d started to argue, she’d stared each of them down until the smartest one had done as she said. Clint couldn’t think of a moment when he’d loved her more.

They’d left him with an electronic tracking anklet. Nothing particularly high tech and he was sure that he could get the damn thing off in five minutes if he wanted. But he knew there’d be a revolving roster of national security agents posted around his property, waiting for him to try something like that. He could make it out, but the kids wouldn’t and Laura would never forgive him if armed soldiers stormed their home. He tried to remind himself that this had been his choice, but the cool metal against his skin was a harsh reminder that this wasn’t just another visit.

With their job done, the guards didn’t stick around. The truck tore up the lawn as they swung around and accelerated back down the driveway. Laura’s arms had wrapped around him as she helped him towards the house.

“What did you do this time?”

“What was right.”

~~~

Three years had passed since then and he still couldn’t bring himself to regret it. A law that took away people’s choice to take action and locked away a woman barely out of her teens because people didn’t understand what she could do? It wasn’t right. Even if Clint was slowly going crazy as he memorised every tree, rock and blade of grass on his property, it was still worth it to know that Wanda was free and Steve was still out there fighting the good fight.

Wanda wrote every now and then, always with plain unmarked envelopes that couldn’t be used to track her location. Each letter was a small glimpse into the outside world and welcome news from the rest of his team. Nat sent messages occasionally and rang when it was safe, but he knew that she believed he was safer left in the dark.

There were days where it was good to be home. He’d been there for Nate’s first steps and when Lila brought home the championship trophy from the school spelling bee. He’d spent half of one summer showing Cooper everything he knew about cars, and more than a few quiet romantic dinners with his wife.

Of course, there are other days when he’s antsy and underfoot, frustrating Laura until she kicks him out to the barn with his recurve. They’d taken his high-tech compound bow at the prison, but his old circus bow was still sturdy enough to let him shoot a few arrows. That’s where he was when Cooper came running in, shouting about aliens in New York.

A chill ran through Clint. For a moment, he was back on a skyscraper staring up at a never-ending swarm of Chitauri streaming through a portal. His fingers tighten painfully around his bow, reminding himself that they’d won that fight and it was years ago.

“Da-ad. Come on!!” Cooper urged, tugging at Clint’s free hand and pulling him back to reality.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”

Clint had never crossed the distance between the barn and the house so fast. Laura and the other two kids were standing in the living room, pale faced and eyes wide as they stared at the carnage unveiling on the tv. A single large donut of a spaceship was hovering above New York and two unidentified aliens were tearing up the park. There was footage of one of them throwing Stark’s shiny new iron man suit through a solid building.

Laura’s hand reached for his and he moved closer to wrap his arms around her. The kid in the spider suit from the airport swung in to the fight and there were some sort of goddamn magicians with glowing orange circles and literal portals like some sort of video game. He missed the simpler times, where the weirdest things SHIELD had to deal with were the failed attempts of super villains to recreate the super soldier serum.

“Are you going to have to go?” Lila asked softly. She was almost 12 now, in that awkward preteen stage where she knew too much to be treated as a child but wasn’t fully ready to take on the responsibility of adulthood. The way she was looking at the tv, fear clearly visible and a calculating expression, he knew that she was realising for the first time just how dangerous his job was.

Every time he’d stepped out of that door on Avengers or SHIELD business, there was a good chance it would be the time he didn’t come back. The thing was, even though what’s on the television was bordering on horrific, he wanted to be out there. When disaster struck, he needed to be in the thick of it and his mind was already calculating how quickly he could get to New York when Laura’s leg bumped casually against his ankle monitor. Anger, resentment and frustration crashed over him but he kept his face carefully blank.

“I’m retired, honey. I’m not going anywhere,” he said instead and wished he couldn’t feel Laura relax ever so slightly at the reassurance. The final footage of the battle showed the alien, one of the wizards, the spider kid and Stark heading into space and even as the minutes ticked by, none of them came back down.

The news footage turned towards analysis and recap and irritating talk show hosts debating over and over whether Stark was still alive. Clint had seen enough. He twisted slightly and pressed a kiss to Laura’s cheek.

“I’ve got a couple of calls to make. Let me know if there’s anything new,” he muttered as he unwound his arms from around her waist. She nodded and he slipped out of the room and up the stairs. In the back of his closet, he kept a box with his uniforms, some old SHIELD memorabilia, a couple of faded circus posters and a cap figurine that Coulson had given him once because Clint had been giving him a hard time about his collection. Almost everything that made him Hawkeye in one box. Most importantly, on the top of the box was an untraceable cell.

Clint’s fingers lingered for half a second on the pliable leather of his vest before he shoved the thought aside and grabbed the phone. It took another two seconds to open the window and swing himself up onto the roof. His kids didn’t need to hear him make this call. It took only two rings before Nat picked up.

“Clint, now may not be the best time.”

“Were you in New York?” he asked, not bothering to hide the tension in his voice or the fact that he worried about her.

“I’m halfway across the world, Clint.” She paused and for a moment he wondered if that was all she was going to say. He scowled darkly, annoyed not for the first time because it seemed like being retired had somehow meant that she trusted him less. Finally she spoke again. “We’re tracking down a lead. They only got half of what they wanted, so we’re going for the other half.”

“You better not get yourself killed without me there to watch your back. Aliens and magic and all of that bullshit, it’s messed up, Nat. I’d feel better if I had the bastards in my sights, helping keep them off you and the others.” Clint scanned the sky above him and the horizon, wishing he could see the dark shape of a quinjet moving across the sky towards him and warily keeping an eye out for anything that’s wasn’t meant to be there.

The silence on the other end of the line is stony and Clint realised he’d probably said the wrong thing. It was the truth though, and he’d never lied to her, not deliberately at least. Clint just wished he’d gotten a bit more out of her before he’d reminded her that he was effectively benched right now.

“How’s Wanda?” Clint asked, before Nat decided to bring up that house arrest had been his choice. They’d had the argument dozens of times over the past three years and it didn’t matter who won, because it always left a bad taste in his mouth.

“She can take care of herself, Clint. We all can. Your family needs you there, taking care of them.” There was a noise in the background and a brief muffled conversation that Clint couldn’t make out, although he was fairly sure it was Steve. When Nat spoke agian, it was with a renewed sense of urgency. “I’ve got two minutes.”

“Are you going after Stark?”

“Not right now. Whatever mess he’s gotten himself into, it’s not even on this planet and even if we wanted to, we’re not exactly prepped for space travel. Right now, we’ve got more immediate problems.”

“Are the Chitauri coming back?”

“At the minute, a full scale invasion seems unlikely and the Chitauri aren’t really involved as far as we can tell, but our source was a bit shaky on the details. I guess, It will probably depend on how much we piss them off. Last question, Barton.”

“Promise you’ll come get me if it all goes to shit.”

“Stay safe, Clint.”

“You too, Nat.”

The call disconnected and he ignored the urge to throw the cell. He thought about getting down and heading back out to the barn. He doubted he could shoot enough arrows or pretend that he’d killed enough aliens to eliminate the sense of worry and helplessness and outright dread that was settling in his stomach. So he sat on the edge of his roof, watching the peaceful Iowa farmland and trying to let some of that tranquillity calm his nerves and push aside the memories of the last couple of alien invasions that he’d been on the frontlines for.

Laura joined him eventually, after the sun had set and the air had started to turn cool. When he’d first met her, she’d been an acrobat performing incredible feats with ribbons and the trapeze. She’d been as at ease scrambling around the tents high ropes and netting and she’d chased him down one afternoon when he’d been sixteen, catching him at the very top of the tent and kissing him senseless.

He’d taken her away from all of that and he liked to think that she was happy here, but sometimes, he wondered if she missed it. It was clear as she flipped onto the roof with two beers in hand that even after all of this time, she still had the talent for it.

“There was another hit, in Scotland,” Laura said as she passed him one of the beers and sat down next to him. “Wanda and Nat were there but the last footage showed them alive and boarding a jet. I’ve recorded it for once you’re done brooding.”

The weight on Clint’s shoulders relaxed minutely at that. He wanted to know why she hadn’t sent one of the kids to tell him when the attack happened, but deep down he knew the reason. Part of him wanted to argue that he wasn’t brooding and even if he was, an alien invasion meant it was totally justified. The rest of him was just felt tired and useless and not at all like talking. He took a long swig of his beer and leant his head against her shoulder.

“You have always been the man to step up, to put yourself on the line and fight. I know it was a hard choice to give that up, one that I wish the United Nations had never forced you to make.” Laura started, her fingers carding gently through his hair as she spoke. “I know you’ve been restless these past few years, but I like to think we’ve been happy and the kids have liked having you around for a while.”

“I know that if they call, you’re going right back out there into the thick of it all, but right now you’re safe here with us and I am so grateful for that. I watched Tony Stark fly into a spaceship today and he’s still missing. He’s supposed to be getting married next month and now he’s gone and all I could think was thank god it wasn’t you.”

Clint took another long sip of his beer, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist and draw her closer. Stark might be an arrogant ass half the time, but he was a decent guy and he could be counted on to do what needed to be done when the shit hit the fan. Pepper was probably a wreck right now, and it wasn’t hard to imagine Laura in her place because he couldn’t say he’d have done anything differently if he’d been in Stark’s position.

“Don’t go looking for trouble, Clint. If trouble comes to us, we’ll fight it together, but don’t go looking for it this time. I couldn’t bear to lose you.” Laura kissed the side of his forehead and then took a swig of her own beer.

“Trouble’s coming. Every instinct I have says this is just the tip of the iceberg and Nat and the rest of them are going to be right in the middle of it,” Clint said quietly. “I’ve never wanted to bring my work home with me, you know that. I need you and the kids safe more than anything else in the world and I’m not sure I can promise that right now.”

“No one can make that promise, sweetheart. All I ask is that you’re here while you can be and you do your best like you always do.”

“But what if it’s not enough?”

“Even if the world ends tomorrow, I know you’ll give everything you have for us and I love you for it. It’s enough.” Each and every word was said with confidence and such heartfelt sincerity that Clint had to turn so that he could see her properly and read her expression for himself. There was no doubt in her eyes, only love and acceptance and Clint can’t help but lean forward and kiss her.

He felt rather than saw the way she smiled against his lips and then she was leaning back against the roof tiles. He reached out and removed the beer bottle from her hand before placing both bottles about a foot away in the guttering. Then he bent over his gorgeous wife and kissed her properly.

~~~

Even Clint knew that they couldn’t hide on the roof forever. The kids needed feeding and Nate would need putting to bed. Clint took one look at Cooper and Lila’s face when they eventually climbed back down and he knew that they were scared and trying their very best to put a brave face over it. He looked back at Laura who nodded, picking up Nate and heading towards the kitchen.

“Come on,” he muttered to his oldest two children, grabbing his bow from where he’d left it on the bed earlier. Heart-to-heart chats had never been Clint’s strong suit and he always felt better with a bow between his hands, and after all, these were his children too. Lila’s hand curled into his as they made their way out to the barn and Cooper was definitely hovering as close as he could without touching.

“Who want’s first shot?” Clint asked, setting up the target and grabbing his quiver. He held the bow out to the kids and smiled when Cooper pushed Lila forward. Clint grabbed an arrow from the quiver as Lila took the bow from him. She took her stance and he wrapped around her, placing his fingers over hers as he helped her knock the arrow. The draw weight was far too much for her, so he did most of the work as they pulled the string back.

“Aim it where you want to go, and when you’re ready, shoot.”

Lila adjusted the bow slightly and then she let go of the string, Clint letting go less than a fraction later. It thudded into the straw target, towards the outer rim. When she spoke, her voice was shaky but the words were clear. “I don’t want you to go.”

Clint took a moment to let the words sink in as he fired his own arrow after hers. “I don’t _want_ to go. Every time I go, I go because I can’t just stand by and watch awful things happen to innocent people like you when I can make a difference. Right now though, I need to be here more than I can make a difference there so you’re stuck with me being boring old home dad for a bit longer.”

Lila smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him for a quick hug before she stepped away to give Cooper his turn. Cooper had a determined look on his face as he moved up and wrapped his fingers around the bow. Clint passed him an arrow and helped him draw. The third arrow landed in second ring of the target.

“Are the aliens trying to take over the world? Like in those invasion films?”

“At the minute, it’s not an invasion. Nat said they were after something specific. You don’t invade a planet with two aliens, no matter how powerful they are. But if they don’t get what they want? Well they might come back with more guys. We’ve just got to trust Nat and Cap to know what they are doing.”

Cooper seemed to turn that answer over in his mind and then he nodded. Lila stepped forward again for her next shot. Knock, draw, release. Thwack. Another arrow in the target.

“Are the aliens going to come here?”

“Why would they come all the way out here? We’ve got nothing they want. If I’ve learned anything about invading aliens, it’s that they don’t take the time to enjoy the quieter life. They get drawn in by all the big cities and secret military bases.”

Knock, draw, release. Thwack.

“What are the aliens looking for?”

“I don’t know. Nat didn’t say.”

Thwack.

“Is Auntie Nat going to come visit soon?”

“Nat’s a bit busy at the minute, and there are still people looking for her who want to lock her away where she can’t help people. It might be awhile before she can come visit.”

Thwack.

“Can you teach me how to fire a gun? In case the aliens do come?”

“Only if you can convince your mom.”

“That’s a discussion for another day,” Laura said from the doorway. “Now inside and wash up, it’s dinner time.”

The kids scampered out of the barn and Clint took the moment to draw three more arrows, firing all three at once. The three arrows landed exactly where he wanted in the target, finishing off the smiley face he’d been building from the kids slightly off-centre shots. Laura shook her head but she laughed.

“You too, Hawkeye. Inside.” The amusement slid off her face after a moment. “Might be a good idea to bring the bow inside tonight.”

“Yes ma’am.”

~~~

The kids seemed a bit more settled after dinner, falling back into the usual routine now that they’d been reassured he wasn’t going to sneak out to fight aliens in the middle of the night. Aliens seemed like they were half a world away from bedtimes and story-telling and it’s not until all three kids are tucked safely in bed that Clint can sit down and watch the news footage from Scotland.

The aliens are different to the ones in new York, although it’s hard to tell if that’s because they come from a different race or if it’s the equivalent of a different hairstyle in humans. Clint supposed it didn’t really matter all that much, other than he’d prefer to believe there was only one species trying to invade his planet instead of two. Wanda held her own with vision (and wasn’t he supposed to be at the facility in upstate New York?) until reinforcements arrived.

He watched the feed twice, looking over every detail of the scene as closely as the grainy cctv cameras would allow. Laura handed him the cell before he’d even stood to get it. Nat had been a huge part of both their lives, and he’d told her all about Wanda. The poor girl just couldn’t seem to catch a break and Clint couldn’t help but feel protective. It was her number that he tapped on to send a message.

_Hey W. You doing okay?_

He didn’t have to wait long before the phone buzzed with a reply. _I’ve had better days._

_Are you safe?_ It’s a stupid question, really. She was a wanted fugitive and almost a magnet for trouble, but he hoped she’d understand what he meant.

_Not really, but we have a plan._

_Does your plan have space for an old man with a bow?_

_Not this time. I will call when we succeed._

_Take care, Wanda._

There were no more messages. He briefly thought about texting Nat, but she was probably busy as well. He stood, stretching his arms and his back with a satisfying crack. The house around him was silent and he turned all the lights off as he padded upstairs to his bedroom.

Laura was curled up in bed already, reading a book and she smiled at him when he came in.

“Everything okay?”

“Hopefully, it will be,” he said as he climbed into bed next to her. She smiled, rolling closer so that he could wrap his arms around her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead as she yawned. “I love you. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

“I love you too, Clint. Now go to sleep.”

For the first time in years, Clint dreamed of Loki and the Chitauri and blue, so much blue. He started awake, gasping and curling his fists into the sheets. The bed’s not as empty as it was when he fell asleep. He’d obviously disturbed Lila from where she was curled up against her back and she rolled over with a sleepy whimper, pressing her face against his arm. Nate was between him and Laura and even as he lay there the door opened again. Cooper stood there in the doorway, looking at the bed longingly but clearly unsure if he was too big.

“Get in here, Coop,” Clint muttered quietly and he didn’t need to be told twice, rushing across the room to slide in on Laura’s other side. Laura murmured something in her sleep but didn’t wake. Cooper’s breathing evened out quickly, and while Clint couldn’t bring himself to go back to sleep, he rested a bit easier knowing that his family was all in the same room.

When morning did eventually dawn, it didn’t bring any aliens. The news feeds were replaying the earlier attacks but they were interspersed with the usual fluff pieces about local politics and YouTube kittens. No new attacks, no new sightings and Clint let himself relax ever so slightly as Laura got started on some baking and the kids fought over putting a movie on. His phone he kept with him as he worked on some timber skirting in the study.

Clint couldn’t quite shake a gloomy sense of dread hanging over him, but the trouble was half a world away. He had his bow within easy reach and even if trouble came looking, he wouldn’t let anything hurt his family.

The scream that tore through the house was earth-shattering.

He had never heard Lila scream like that, not even when she broke her arm. Clint was down the stairs and in the doorway to the living room with his bow in hand in a blur of movement. He was fully prepared to shoot whatever needed shooting, but it only took a second for the bow to clatter to the ground again.

Cooper looked up at him with wild and terrified eyes as his hands slowly turned to ash in front of him. “Da…”

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” Clint slid across the floor, not believing what his eyes were seeing, but his fingers closed around nothing but a small pile of ash and dust. There was a sharp intake of breath from the kitchen doorway, Lila tucked against Laura who was holding Nate tight with shaking hands. He didn’t have an answer for the question in her eyes, he didn’t understand what’s happening any more than she did.

“Clint?” Laura’s voice was shaking so badly that it seemed like she wasn’t quite solid. Flakes of ash fell to the ground beside her and Clint stared in horror.  For a second, a flash of frustration cut through Laura’s obvious terror. “Clint, I need you to take Nate.”

“Please don’t…” Clint started, reaching out for Nate even as Laura’s arms started to disintegrate beneath him. “I love you, Laura, please”

“Love you…”

His wife disintegrated into ash right in front of him and Lila wailed loudly, wrapping her arms around his waist. The sound upset Nate, who started to cry as well. Clint stared at the small pile of ash, occasionally glancing at the identical pile in front of the television and he felt his own hands start to shake and bile rose up in his throat.

“Oh god, no, no, no,” he said over and over, picking Lila up with his spare arm and staggering backwards. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening. They just needed to get out of this room and they’d find Laura and Cooper laughing about what a good practical joke this had been. It couldn’t possibly be real.

But there was no noise in the rest of the house other than the children’s sobbing wails. Clint’s limbs were shaking beneath him and he was struggling to hold himself up let alone the kids. He didn’t remember climbing the stairs to the bedroom, but then the kids are curled up against him and it was so similar to that morning but Laura’s not there. Coopers not there. They are never going to be there again because they’d literally slipped through his fingers as they disintegrate.

A low, guttural sob was wrenched from his chest as it hit him that there was absolutely no way he could have imagined this. They were gone. His eyes were stinging with hot tears and he pulled Lila and Nate as close as he possibly can because what if they disappear as well. He was distantly aware of his phone ringing downstairs but he didn’t feel like moving and he wasn’t going to let his family out of his sight, possibly ever.

The pillow still smelled like Laura.

Time went a little blurry after that.

~~~

It was Nate tugging at his arm that eventually brought him back to the present. His chest ached and his entire face felt swollen and red from crying, but he forced himself to sit up. Nate looked up at him with his own red eyes.

“Mama?”

That one word was enough to send Lila into a fresh bout of tears, and Clint ran his hand down her back in what he hoped were soothing motions. His tongue felt heavy and it almost felt like he was going to choke on the words, but he forced himself to get them out anyways.

“Mama’s gone, buddy.” The words tasted like ash and bile and the ache in his chest seemed to get worse. “It’s just you, me and Lila for a while.”

“Coop?”

Clint pulled his son into a tight hug instead of answering. It was very tempting to just black out again, to lie here until whatever happened to Laura happened to them all.  But he had two kids left and he needed to talk to Nat or Fury or someone and figure out what the hell was going on.

The tracking anklet was the first thing that had to go. It was no longer a grounding reminder of his choice to protect his family. He’d made that choice and he’d failed anyway. The farmhouse wasn’t a safehouse anymore, he wasn’t even sure it was safe. He’d ditch the tracker and hopefully once Ross’ goons realised he was gone they’d probably just think he’d died as well.

Carefully, he eased Nate back down on the bed next to Lila. They both watched him with wide eyes as he stood and moved towards the cupboard. His lock-picking gear was in his Hawkeye box and the tracker fell to the floor less than five minutes after he’d started.

“Are you leaving?” Lila asked, terrified.

“We’re going to leave, baby. You and me and Nate, we’re going to go out there and find out what happened, and maybe we can get them back.” Or maybe, Clint could make the bastard responsible pay for the lives they’d stolen. SHIELD had always argued that vengeance was a weakness, but Clint figured if it fit within the mission objectives then what did it hurt to get a little payback on some of the assholes in the world. Right now, he wanted more than a little payback.

The black and purple tac suit on top of the box seemed to call for him. How easy would it be, just to slide into Hawkeye’s professional persona? To take his bow and shoot enough people or aliens or whoever he needed to make this situation slightly less craptastic?

Too many people knew about Hawkeye though. There were action figures and lego sets and at least one magazine spread that Stark had bullied him into back when he’d been living part time in Avengers tower. Ross knew all of that, and what’s worse was he knew about Nate and Lila. Hawkeye was no longer the safe, anonymous agent who could slip in and out wherever he needed to go.

Of course, this wasn’t his only box.

The other one was behind a false panel, stubborn and unwilling to budge after years of disuse. Laura was the only one who knew about this box, knew about those dark angry years in his early 20’s when he’d been full of a bitter rage at the hand life had dealt him. It seemed somehow appropriate that this box was the one he needed now.  

"Lila, I need you to be strong right now, okay. I need you to go and pack a bag for you and one for Nate. Pack only the essentials, like I taught you to do in our survival game. Can you do that for me?” His little girl looked up at him, and for a second he was afraid she’d say no, that she was too shaken up to even move tonight. Instead she nodded, scrambling off the bed and only briefly hesitating when she reached the door.

Slowly, he opened the second box. The black and yellow suit within was just how he remembered it, maybe a little dustier. Of course, he wasn’t exactly 25 anymore and as he tried to tug the fabric on, it stretched and pulled in a not particularly flattering way, until he got it on. These last few years with Laura had made him soft and it hurt to think about it, so he didn’t. He’d spent too long already lost in his grief and he needed to be able to function, pushing aside each and every thought of Laura or Cooper as it crossed his mind.

Underneath the suit there was cash and fake ids and documents for the entire family (Laura had said he was being paranoid, but he’d just made sure they had every option covered). He grabbed the three he needed and the cash, not letting himself linger on the others. The mask and katanas are at the very bottom of the box and he lifts them out reverently.

“Ninja, daddy?” Nate asked, and Clint regretted ever letting Cooper introduce Nate to the ninja turtles. He rolled his eyes, stuffing the mask, cash and ids into a backpack he’d grabbed off one of the closet shelves. The swords he slid into sheaths across his back. After a moment’s hesitation he grabbed his bow off the bed as well. That bow had been with him through thick and thin for decades and he’d lost too much today to leave it behind.

“We’re going on an adventure, Nate.” He swung Nate up onto his hip, before heading downstairs to the kitchen. Lila was already downstairs, two bags packed by the door as she watched the news on the television. Clint’s more focussed on getting together enough food for at least a couple of days, if not longer, stuffing the rest of his bag full and then grabbing an extra bag.

“It’s not just Mom and Cooper. It’s everywhere. People just disappearing,” Lila half whispered, almost as if she expected saying it louder would make it real. That news probably should have been horrifying, but his brain almost seemed disconnected from his emotions because Clint couldn’t help but think that more disappearances would make theirs even less noticeable. Just one more farmer and his family gone in the chaos of whatever the hell was going on.

Food packed, the last thing he needed was still in the study where he’d left it. He stepped through the living room with his eyes firmly fixed away from floor and he skirted around the edges, so he couldn’t see the two neat little piles of dust.

When he picked up the phone, the screen was lit up with missed calls and messages. His eyes focussed on the very last text from Nat. Coordinates. He wasn’t sure what he’d find when he got there, maybe an old SHIELD bunker or a shiny new stark facility or hell even if it was just a pick-up point for the quinnjet. It was a destination, a purpose.

“Let’s go.” Clint said when he got back to the kitchen where his children were waiting. Lila was looking at the new suit and he knew she had questions, but there’d be plenty of time for those later. Nate just raised his arms, wanting to be carried. Clint loaded himself up with as much as he could carry. They couldn’t take his old pick-up because it would be too obvious, but it wasn’t far to the next farm over where he’d hopefully be able to borrow or steal a car.

“Where are we going, Dad?” Lila asked as he led them away from the driveway. He hoped no one was around to notice three figures creeping through the grassy fields in the gradually darkening twilight. Lila and Nate had seen enough already, they didn’t need to see what he was prepared to do if someone threatened what was left of his family. They were all he had left and he’d see the rest of the universe burn if it meant he could keep them safe. Of course that wasn’t exactly plan A.

“We’re going to go find Auntie Nat. Then hopefully we’re going to save the world.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :) Please leave feedback in the comments or hit the kudos button. My muse loves the encouragement <3


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